AS SOON AS WE HAVE IT, WE'LL PASS IT RIGHT ALONG. PARENTS OF A JOURNALIST WHO WAS BEHEADED IN IRAQ CALL HIM A HERO. MEANTIME, ANOTHER JOURNALIST, A FORMER UCF STUDENT WHO WAS ALSO SEEN IN THE GRISLY VIDEO REMAINS IN DANGER. THE MILITANTS THREATEN TO KILL STEVEN SOTLOFF IF AIR STRIKES BEGIN. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA SAYS THE UNITED STATES MUST CONTINUE TO CONFRONT THE EXTREMISTS AND AMERICAN FIGHTER JETS AND DRONES HAVE CONDUCTED NEARLY A DOZEN AIR STRIKES IN IRAQ SINCE TUESDAY. WESH 2'S DAVE MCDANIEL IS LIVE AT UCF WHERE STEVEN SOTLOFF WAS A STUDENT ROUGHLY TEN YEARS AGO. DAVE? THAT'S RIGHT. AND TEN YEARS IN COLLEGE LIFE IS A LONG, LONG TIME. THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS HAVE GRADUATED SINCE STEVEN SOTLOFF WAS ON CAMPUS HERE FROM 2002 TO 2004. LEARNING THE CRAFTS WHICH NOW ULTIMATELY HAS HIM IN HARM'S WAY. ALL THE TWEET AND THE PICTURE OF HIM WITH THE TERRORIST AND I'M JUST THINKING, WOW. LIKE, THAT'S MY OLD COLLEGE ROOMMATE. AND IT'S SCARY STUFF. STEVEN SOTLOFF'S FORMER COLLEGE ROOMMATE LIKE SO MANY OTHERS HOPES FOR HIS SAFE RETURN. WE NEVER REALLY THOUGHT THAT WE WOULD EVER HAVE ONE OF OUR FRIENDS IN THIS SITUATION. WE ALL SEE ON THIS TELEVISION ALL THE TIME BUT IT'S NOT UNTIL IT'S CLOSE TO YOU OR YOUR FAMILY WHERE IT REALLY -- YOUR STOMACH STARTS TURNING A LITTLE BIT AND YOU CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT YOU ARE SEEING. HE SAYS HE HATES SEEING HIS FRIEND IN SO MUCH DANGER. HE REMEMBERS THE GUY WHO WORKED HARD ON THE UCF STUDENT NEWSPAPER. THE GUY WHO PLAYED AND LOVED RUGBY. HE SAYS SOTLOFF HAD A TRUE PASSION FOR JOURNALISM. A GUY WHO WOULD DO ANYTHING TO HELP YOU OUT. AND NOW FACING THIS SERIOUS THREAT. IT'S KIND OF SPOOKY TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. DOESN'T REALLY SEEM REAL. THE FAMILY OF JAMES FOLEY SPOKE TODAY AFTER SPEAKING WITH THE PRESIDENT AND OTHERS WORKING TO STOP THE VIOLENCE. AND PASSED ON THEIR THOUGHTS CONCERNING STEVEN SOTLOFF AND HIS FAMILY. WE'VE PLEADED FOR STEVEN SOTLOFF AND THE OTHER PRISONERS. WE ASK THEM TO DO WHATEVER YOU CAN POSSIBLY DO TO SAVE THEIR LIVES. THE SOTLOFFS ASK THAT WE BEG FOR STEVEN'S LIFE AND WE DID AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO DID THAT. UCF RELEASED A BRIEF STATEMENT SAYING THIS IS AN UNSPEAKBLY TERRIBLE CIRCUMSTANCE. WE JOIN SO MANY OTHERS WHO HOPE FOR STEVEN'S SAFE RETURN. WE ALSO HEARD FROM U.S. SENATOR BILL NELSON THIS AFTERNOON. HE PUT OUT IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT THAT BASICALLY THE UNITED STATES HAS TO CONTINUE TO WORK AS HARD AS POSSIBLE TO PUT DOWN THE TERRORIST THREAT. OTHERWISE, HE SAYS, AMERICANS AND AMERICAN INTEREST WILL CONSISTENTLY BE AT RISK.